The present invention is directed broadly to an apparatus for handling fluent material and more specifically to the filling of flexible containers with a fluid. In addition, the invention has special emphasis on controlling the volume of liquid delivered to a container and with preventing the spillage or overflow of the liquid from said container.
The usual bottle or container filling machine or apparatus consists of a reservoir or tank having a plurality of filling nozzles or tubes, each of which is provided with a closure valve to control the flow of the liquid, such as milk, into the bottle or container. The liquid is delivered to the container upon the raising or elevating of said container into sealing engagement with the lower end of the filling nozzle or tube, which action usually results in unseating the valve and permitting the fluid from the reservoir or tank to flow into the container. The filling nozzle or tube usually has associated therewith a vent tube or passage that communicates with a space above the liquid in the tank or reservoir so that as the fluid flows into the container the air contained therein will flow through the vent tube or passage and into the space above the liquid in the tank. The Patent to Minard, No. 2,324,793 of July 20, 1943, is illustrative of filling nozzles for such a machine.
When filling flexible containers or bottles with a fluid, the sides of the container tend to expand under the influence of the fluid being delivered to the container and the head pressure of said fluid. Thus, a gallon type of container would hold more than a gallon of fluid upon the completion of a filling operation due to the sides of the container being distended. In a situation of this type when the container is removed from the filling nozzle which results in a removal of the head pressure, the distended sides of the container will contract resulting in an overflow or spillage of the contents of the container.